Lesniak.jpg
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) is pictured in a file photo.
(Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
TRENTON -- State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, who has spent four decades walking the halls of the Statehouse, will walk the red carpet Saturday night at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.
The Union County lawmaker -- and Democratic candidate for governor this year -- will be a guest at the festival for the premier of "The Last Animals," a documentary in which he is interviewed.
"I'm in a movie!" Lesniak, 70, exclaimed when asked about the festival appearance. "It's exciting."
Lesniak has been an advocate for animal rights for years. He was the sponsor of New Jersey's ban on ivory and rhino horn products and on imports of "trophy animal" products of threatened species.
"The Last Animals" examines the killing of elephants and rhinoceroses in Africa and the efforts to prevent the creatures from becoming extinct.
"The further exposure the documentary will give to the threatened extinction of these animals and the role humans are playing will help to protect endangered species, including elephants and rhinos," Lesniak said.
This isn't the first time Lesniak will be at a major film festival. He walked the red carpet at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015 when the film "Freeheld" was screened.
That movie is a true-story account of an Ocean County police officer's fight against the county freeholder board to allow her pension to be transferred to her domestic partner after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
"I got my picture taken with Ellen Page," Lesniak recalled about the actress, who was in the film. "It was wild."
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.